‘It’s Time’ for a practical Green vision: Schreiner

Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner was in Picton Monday to launch The Green Party's five-point plan and to open local candidate Treat Hull's campaign office, above Miss Lily's Cafe, downtown Picton.

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, joined Treat Hull, Candidate for Prince Edward-Hastings and Provincial Energy Critic to launch the party’s five-point election platform during a press conference in Picton Monday.
“Ontario needs a practical Green vision now more than ever,” said Schreiner. “We need to tackle the challenges facing our generation – rising energy prices, climate change and spiraling health care costs. Only the Green Party has a vision to turn these challenges into opportunities to rebuild our local economies, reconnect our communities and promote the health and well-being of all Ontarians.”

Schreiner and Hull said the Green Party is the only party “offering true, realistic options to save on energy bills in the long term – by prioritizing energy efficiency and conservation. This includes an expanded energy retrofit program that will help home owners, landlords and tenants save money today, tomorrow and years from now.”

Hull criticized the platform just released by the Ontario Progressive Conservatives saying “unfortunately for the province, the PC’s have joined in the Liberals in adopting a position of ‘play now, pay later’. Instead of taking advantage of the current economic recovery to retire the deficit, the Tories are advocating both spending increases and tax cuts. This leaves the Green Party as the only party advocated for fiscal sustainability by balancing the budget by 2015. Both the Liberals and the Tories are trying to buy off voters by offering election goodies which are being charged to the tax payers’ credit card.”

The Party wants to see decision making returned to local governments and taxpayers.
“As I travel across the province, I’m getting increasingly tired of professional politicians and political insiders,” Schreiner said. “The role of the government is to engage and empower individuals, businesses and organizations to develop sensible, long-term solutions to the challenges facing us.”
The Green Party’s five-point plan points include:
1. Creating jobs for a 21st century economy.
2. Harnessing safe, affordable energy to power our communities.
3. Promoting access to quality, sustainable health care close to home.
4. Feeding our communities by championing local farms
5. Delivering government that works for people.

“Healthy, vibrant local communities are most important. For us, the County’s health is vital. The Liberal government has stripped decision making and removed zoning rights from local communities. If we want to build a garden shed bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet, we have to obtain a building permit. But if somebody wants to build a 40-storey industrial turbine they are exempt. We cannot trample the rights of local communities.”
Schreiner added efficiencies in New York State are 35 per cent more effective than in Ontario.
“Conservation is the low cost option. We have to look at the economy, the environment and our pocketbooks. For example, if we retrofit buildings, it creates jobs and reduces our Hydro bills. We have to remove barriers so entrepreneurs can save us money with innovative technologies in conservation and efficiency.”
The province’s health care, Schreiner said, also needs to deliver a sustainable system.
“We must prevent illness in the first place, manage chronic illness better and help keep people out of hospitals. For seniors specifically, we need increased investment and improved quality care.”
Schreiner applauds Prince Edward County’s Family Health Team and nurse practitioner’s clinics, noting they provide a model that should be “more aggressively adopted across the province.”
“Health care spending makes up half of the provincial budget,” added Hull. “If the current trend continues, 80 per cent of the budget will go to pay for health care by 2030. It’s not more money needed, but better use of the money and a reallocation of resources to wellness and prevention.”
The Green Party office in Picton is above Miss Lily’s Cafe in the new Hilltop Business Centre, sharing space with Lo-Fi Consulting and Scout Design. Copies of the Green Party Platform and supporting white papers can be downloaded at http://www.give-em-hull.ca/platform/